Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Preparedness”
When the ground starts shaking from an earthquake, do you know what to do? Do you know why we have earthquakes in Utah, how we monitor them, and how we mediate their effects? The Utah Seismic Safety Commission (USSC) recently released the second edition of the booklet, Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country—Your Handbook for Earthquakes in Utah (a.k.a. “Roots”) …
SALT LAKE CITY – Today, FEMA and the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management (Utah DEM) released an inventory of unreinforced masonry (URM) school buildings in the state. The inventory has been in development over the past decade to support state efforts to identify URM buildings of all types, which are at greater risk of damage in …
Water and schools are among the Commission’s biggest concerns. Salt Lake City — The Utah Seismic Safety Commission (USSC) calls on state policymakers to implement five actions to improve Utah’s resilience to a major earthquake. The USSC identified the five projects in partnership with local nonprofit Envision Utah and support from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, the Structural Engineers Association …
Magna Earthquake Does Not Diminish the Risk of a Major M7 to M7.5 Earthquake Salt Lake City — Thurs., March 18, 2021 marks the one year anniversary of the moderate magnitude (M) 5.7 earthquake that struck northern Utah near Magna. The mainshock was widely felt across the Wasatch Front. Over 30,000 felt reports were received by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) …
“Earthquakes happen when they wanna happen,” says Doug Perry, public information officer for the Murray School District. “Unfortunately, the Magna Quake [March 18] happened in the middle of a pandemic. Not having to worry about our school buildings ─ that they survived and performed well ─ was a huge relief for our district.” That’s because the Murray School District decided …
What did the earthquake feel like to you? This post hit the web at 7:09 a.m. today. That’s exactly six months to the minute since many Utahns felt their first earthquake. Can you believe it? The thing about your first earthquake is that your brain often doesn’t think it’s an earthquake right away. Why does it do that? We’ll get …
Photo from ABC4 Utah article SALT LAKE CITY – Manufactured homes are especially at risk from earthquakes and their aftershocks. Many manufactured homes rest on slender supports that can collapse or buckle during earthquakes, causing injuries to the occupants and damage to the structure, contents, water heater and utilities. Collapse can make doors and other exits unsafe while fractured gas …
SALT LAKE CITY – While earthquakes are inevitable, the damage they cause is not. Utah homeowners can take simple actions to reduce property damage and the disruption to their lives caused by earthquakes. One of the best non-structural measures you can undertake is strapping down your water heater. An earthquake-damaged water heater can cause fires, flooding, and carbon monoxide build-up …
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah has a rich heritage of brick architecture. From Fort Douglas and the Isaac Chase Mill to Provo Tabernacle and Brigham Young’s Winter Home, many of the state’s oldest and most historic structures were made with bricks. However, many brick buildings are vulnerable to earthquakes. Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Structures built prior to 1975 often feature brick …
Why we need an earthquake drill even after so many recent earthquakes Good morning, Utah! We’ve always wondered if an earthquake would happen on the day of the ShakeOut. Well, here we are! There have been more than 1,200 aftershocks following the March 18 Magna earthquake. The most recent felt aftershock was an M4.2 today at 7:41 a.m. With so …
